Refrigerated display case



1949- D. E. RUTISHAUSER REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Filed May 6, 1946 /N l/E'N ro Patented Aug. 16, 1949 REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASE Donald E. ltutlshauser, Webster Groves, Mo.l as

signer to Hussmann Refrigerator 00., a corporation of Delaware Application May 6, 1946, Serial No. 7,500

10 Chm. (Ol. Ha-) This invention relates to refrigerated display cases of the open-top, self-service type having a lower, upwardly opening display chamber, an upper chamber opening downwardly into said display chamber at the back thereof, a cooling unit in saidupper chamber, and sometimes also a cooling unit in said display chamber when it is desired to maintain a sub-zero temperature therein for frozen merchandise.

In the above type of case, the upper chamber has an insulated front wall whose lower edge is disposed adjacent to or below the level of the top of the lower display chamber; and the front face of this insulated front wall is covered by a sheet metal covering or facing on which is exhibited printed cards or pictures for conveying information concerning the food or other merchandise in said display chamber. This metal display panel is kept cold by radiation from the cold food display chamber located therebelow and is exposed to surges of the warmer room air created by persons passing by the case or taking food from the display chamber, thereby causing condensation of moisture on said display panel and the pictures and/or cards, etc., thereon to become saturated with moisture and present an unsightly appearance and to fall off said panel when they are adhesively secured thereto. This moisture also drips from the lower edge of the metal display panel onto the food in the display chamber; and it also forms into icicles on the lower edge of said display panel when the display chamber is held at a sub-zero temperature.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide the upper chamber of a case of the above type with a front wall construction that will overcome all of the disadvantages hereinbefore referred to. Other objects are simplicity and cheapness of construction and compactness of design. The invention consists principally in associating with the front wall of the upper chamber an electric heater which will maintain the temperature of the metal covering and display panel portion of said wall above the dew point of the surrounding air and thus prevent condensation of moisture on the said display panel and 2 rig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerated display case embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through said case,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssectional view through the front wall of the upper chamber of said case; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevations-1 view of the sheet metal facing for said front wall, showing the electric resistance wire mounted on said facing.

In the accompanying drawings. my invention is shown embodied in an open-top, self-service refrigerated display case comprising a lower, 'up-' wardly opening food display chamber or compartment I, a series of upright plate type ref-rig erating coils 2 forming partitions in said chamber, an upper chamber or compartment 3 opening downwardly into said lower, food display chamber at the back thereof, a iln-type cooling coil 4 in the upper portion of said upper chamber, and gutters I disposed beneath said fin-coil. The upper chamber 3 has an insulated front wall I with a rearwardly ofl'set lower portion 9 that extends downwardly into the lower, food display chamber I, and an upright longitudinal partition wall 1 that divides said upper chamber below the gutters I therein into front and back fiues O and I, respectively. With this arrangement, there is a continuous circulation of refrigerated air downwardly from the upper fin coil cooling unit I through the back flue I into the lower display chamber i andaretumiiowofsaid airfrom said display chamber upwardly through the front i'iue 8 to said upper fin coil cooling unit, thereby maintaining the temperature in said display chamber low enough for the preservation of the frozen foods contained therein. Secured to the front face of the front wall I of the upper chamber is a mirror II which inclines reanwardly and downwardly from the top of said chamber to the rearwardly ofl'set lower end portion i of said front wall.

As shown in the drawings, the front face of the rearwardly offset vertical lower portion t of the front wall 0 of the upper chamber 3 is covered by a sheet metal facing ll having a multiplicity of upwardly and outwardly inclined tongues I! struck therefro these tongues being preferably arranged in vertically spaced horizontal rows. A metal display panel It covers the facing panel II and is spaced therefrom by the outstanding tongues l2 thereon. The facing panel II and display "panel it are secured to the lower portion 8' of the insulated front wall C of the upper chamber 3 by means of screws or other fastening devices It. As shown in the drawings.

the display panel 13 may be provided with a suitable clip or molding l6 for supporting pictures l1 and a suitable supporting clip or molding l8 for price tags is or, if desired, such matter may be adhesively or otherwise secured to the outer face of said display panel. The metal facing II and display panel I3 may be extended upwardly back of the lower portion of the inclined mirror III.

In order to prevent the condensation of moisture on the display panel l3 and on the pictures and price cards displayed on the outer surface thereof, means is provided for maintaining said display panel at a temperature above the dew point of the surrounding air. Such temperature is maintained by an electrical heater which preferably comprises an electric resistance wire or cable which is looped back and forth from end to end of the lower portion 6 of the front wall 6 of the upper chamber 3 between the metal facing I l and the metal display panel IS. The horizontal stretches of this electric resistance wire or cable 20 are held in place by the outstanding metal tongues l2 whose free upper end portions are bent rearwardly over the tops of said stretches and clamp them to the front face of said display panel.

By the arrangement described, the electric heater serves to maintain the display panel l3 at a temperature above the dew point of the surrounding room air, thus preventing moisture from condensing on the front face of said display panel and on the pictures and price cards thereon and causing said cards to become saturated with moisture and present an unsightly appearance and become loose from or drop off of said display panel when adhesively secured thereto..

This arrangement also eliminates drippage of moisture from the lower edge of the display panel l3 onto the food in the display chamber I; it also prevents the formation of icicles on said lower edge of said display panel; and it also prevents moisture from condensing on the lower portion of the mirror It). The tongues I! serve to space the display panel l3 away from the facing sheet II for the front wall 6 of the upper chamber; and they provide means for quickly and easily securing the resistance wires or cable 20 to said wall and for maintaining the loops thereof in proper position.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described construction admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangements shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerated display case having a refrigerated chamber and a wall disposed in heat exchange relationship to said chamber and having an exposed surface with display cards mounted thereon, the combination of heating means associated with said wall for maintaining said exposed surface and the display cards thereon at a temperature which will prevent moisture in the room air from condensing on said surface and display cards, a metal panel secured to said wall and forming said exposed surface of said wall, said heating means comprising an electric resistance wire interposed between said wall and said metai panel.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein a metal facing covers the panel opposing face of said wall and said electric resistance wire is located between said metal panel and facing.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein a metal facing covers the panel opposing face of said wall, said electric resistance wire is inter posed between said metal panel and said meta; facing has outstanding tongues thereon for supporting said resistance wire.

4. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said wall is made of insulating material, a metal panel forms the exposed surface of said wall, a metal facing covers the panel oppo:.ing face'oi said wall, said electric resistance wire is looped back and forth between said metal panel and facing and said facing has tongues struck therefrom that are bent around said wire to support and position it on said facing.

5. In a refrigerated display case of the kind having a lower, upwardly opening refrigerated food display chamber, and a depending wall above the rear portion thereof in position to be chilled by the cold air therefrom, the combination of heating means associated with said wall for maintaining the exposed front surface thereof at a temperature which will prevent moisture in the room air from condensing on said surface.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein a mirror inclines downwardly and rearwardly in front of said wall and terminates above the bottom thereof, said exposed front surface of said wall is adapted to support display cards below said mirror and said heating means comprises an electric heating element embodied in said wall back of said display card supporting surface and the lower portion of said mirror.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein a metal panel forms the exposed surface of said wall and said heating means comprises an electric resistance wire interposed between said wall and said metal panel.

8. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein a metal panel forms the exposed surface of said wall, a metal facing covers the panel opposing face of said wall and the heating means comprises an electric resistance element located between said metal panel and facing.

9. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein a metal panel forms the exposed surface of said wall, a metal facing covers the panel opposing face of said wall, the heating means comprises an electric resistance wire interposed between said metal panel and said metal facing has outstanding tongues thereon for supporting said resistance wires.

10. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said wall is made of insulating material, a metal panel forms the exposed surface of said wall, a metal facing covers the panel opposing face of said wall, the heating means comprises an electric resistance wire looped back and forth between said metal panel ad facing and said facing has tongues struck therefrom that are bent around said wire to support and position it on said facing and to space said metal panel from said facing.

DONALD E. RUI'ISHAUSER REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,117,128 Camm Jan. 10. 1914 1,933,173 Hunt Oct. 31, 1933 2,379,885 Davis July 10. 1945 2,382,937 Caulk Aug. 14, 1945 

